


Coda

by WanderingAlice



Series: Anagnorisis [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 05:45:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2055996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingAlice/pseuds/WanderingAlice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky's been trying to find the right time to propose to Steve. He thinks he's finally found the "perfect moment," but fate is not so kind as to let him have it. Steve gets kidnapped, and it's up to the Avengers to find him.</p>
<p>-------------</p>
<p>"“Yeah, I’ve got nothing,” Clint said. “So far we’ve got moving dummies, a creepy tunnel, and a dead guy in a bridal shop. I have to say, I’ve seen weirder, but not by much.”"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coda

**Author's Note:**

> So this... this story was not supposed to happen. There was supposed to just be a nice fluffy little marriage proposal at the end of Comitatus, and that was going to be it. And then plot happened, and things exploded, and it became it's own story.
> 
> While it is a very definite part of a series, you don't have to read the other works to understand Coda.
> 
> Most of this was written over three days, and has not been edited. I rushed to get it done, since I'm leaving for a few weeks and did not want to leave Anagnorisis incomplete. I'll probably edit it at some point, but I'm really very happy with the plot, so it'll only be some of my wording that changes.
> 
> I've got more to say, but I'll let you get to the story. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy!!

The ring was a small thing, a simple gold band in a nondescript black velvet box. It lived in Bucky’s pocket, where he’d been keeping it for the past month, ever since he’d decided to pop the question to Steve. Instead, he’d transferred it from pants pocket to pants pocket, always finding an excuse not to bring it out. He didn’t even really know what was holding him back, just that it was never the right moment. Steve would say yes, he knew that, but it was still hard to get up the courage to ask. The slim chance of rejection scared him more than any enemy. So the ring stayed out of sight, and Bucky was the only one who knew about it. He might have told Tony, but he didn’t want another plot to take place, or, worse, for Tony to try helping on his own. Because Tony was brilliant, but he had no idea how to make big romantic gestures like the one Bucky wanted to give Steve.

Tonight, though. Tonight was the night. If Bucky could find the right moment, he would pull out the ring. This time, for sure.

“Bucky?” Steve stuck his head in their bedroom door, and smiled when he saw him.

“Hi, Steve,” Bucky couldn’t help but smile in return. Being with Steve just had that kind of effect on him. “You’re back early.” Steve had been to visit Peggy today. He tried to go every Sunday that they weren’t on missions, even though seeing her always played merry hell with his emotions- seeing her in pain was hard, so was seeing what time had done to her. That was why Bucky didn’t go so often- she was proof of their mortality, and he really didn’t need the reminder. Well, that, and Steve had been closer to her than Bucky, and he wanted to give them some time alone.

“Yeah,” Steve moved farther into the room, looking sad. “It wasn’t really a good day. She was in a lot of pain, so I left, so she could rest.”

Bucky went to him, and pulled him into a hug. Steve clung tightly to him, drawing comfort from the physical touch.

“Oh, lover.” There wasn’t anything Bucky could say to make it better, he could only be there for him.

At length, Steve pulled away a little, just enough to look Bucky in the eyes, and smile. “Thanks, Buck. I’m alright now.”

“Good,” Bucky leaned in, stretching up so their eyes were on a level, and their noses were almost touching. “’Cause I’m gonna kiss you now.” And he did, gently at first, but then Steve gave a soft little moan, and crushed their mouths together, demanding. The next few minutes were a blissful haze of mouths and hands and skin. In Bucky’s opinion, it was perfection. When they finally pulled apart, Steve leaned in and pressed a sweet, soft kiss to Bucky’s forehead.

“Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bucky told him, grinning up at him.

“You’re trying to distract me from worrying,” Steve said. “What else?”

“Well, that depends,” Bucky said, shooting a smile over his shoulder at Steve as he went to their bed and picked up the shirt he’d been in the process of putting on when Steve came in. He considered it briefly, deciding whether or not to put it on now. Being shirtless with Steve in the room definitely had its benefits. On the other hand, they had plans this evening- dinner and a movie, and he’d planned this outfit especially for it. The dark green silk shirt, with his tightest black pants, the ones Steve said were too tight to be decent- though he said it with that look in his eyes that said something entirely different. Bucky had only just been able to fit the ring box in one pocket, and his wallet in the other.

“On what?” Steve asked, coming behind him, only to wrap both arms around his waist, forestalling any attempt at putting the shirt on.

“Is it working?” He put his own hands over Steve’s, pressing back against him.

“Yeah, it’s working.” Steve leaned in and kissed his neck. “Though you really shouldn’t be wearing those pants. Especially not when we have to leave in an hour.”

“Well, you could help me take ‘em off. After all, we do have a whole hour.”

 

A little over an hour later, re-dressed and ready to go, Steve and Bucky left the tower. They took the motorcycle, Bucky riding behind Steve with not a hair’s breadth of space between their bodies. Bucky loved this bike, about as much as Steve did. Their current project, in the downtime between missions (which was distressingly little,) was rebuilding another one in one of Tony’s spare workspaces. One that, with Tony’s help, they were customizing to be exactly what Bucky wanted. When it was done, it would be a work of art. And then, they were going to work on Steve’s- which was actually the bike Tony currently had in pieces in his lab- he’d been working on it for a while now, intending it as a surprise for Steve. Those would be mission bikes though. This one was purely for fun.

They got to the restaurant- a little diner that reminded them both of the places they’d gone to before the war- and parked out front. They’d chosen it because of it’s nostalgic value, and also because it was a lot less likely someone from the press would spot them. The last time they had been spotted out on a date, there’d been a massive article in the newspaper the next day, making speculations. They still hadn’t come out to the world at large, though everyone who knew them personally was well aware of their couple status. Steve had wanted to, soon after they had gotten together, but Bucky was reluctant to subject him to the absolute shit-storm that would cause in the media. He’d rather keep them quiet, private. What they had between them belonged to them, and no one else. He didn’t want Steve’s private life plastered all over the headlines. (His own didn’t exactly extend far beyond Steve’s, so he didn’t really care what the press thought of him. But Steve was the one that would be hurt by it.) The decision had caused tension between them at first, and sometimes it still did, but Steve understood his reasoning, and was willing to let it alone. At least for now.

They sat at a table against the window, looking out at the people passing by. Modern fashion was a never-ending source of amusement for them both- especially the teenagers. If they had dressed like that in high-school, they would have been sent home to get changed, or given even worse punishment. And the piercings kids got now! Their waiter (a pimply, gawky kid who couldn’t be a day over sixteen) had a ring through his nose, which really only reminded Bucky of a bull. When the kid walked away with their order, he lifted his eyebrows at Steve, and touched his nose, indicating the kid. Steve shook his head, silently laughing.

“I wonder what he does when he sneezes,” Bucky mused, when the kid had gotten far enough away he couldn’t hear them.

“Dunno,” Steve shrugged. “I wonder how he can even blow it. Wouldn’t the ring come out?”

“I think it’s actually passing through his nose. But I don’t actually know how it works, maybe there’s a way it hooks in so it stays?” On this kid, the ring looked ridiculous. On some people, though, Bucky thought nose rings, or other piercings actually looked good. You just had to have the face for it.

“I guess. Wow.” Steve shook his head again, confused by the trend.

“What would you think if I got a piercing?” Bucky asked, merely out of curiosity.

“What? Like a nose ring?” Steve looked incredulous.

“Nah, it would be hell on missions. I was more thinking something in my ears, y’know, maybe up here,” he tapped the cartilage of his upper ear.

“I guess, if you wanted one, I couldn’t tell you no,” Steve said, eyeing the ear. “But I like your ear the way it is.”

“Maybe you’d like it with a piercing, too. You never know,” Bucky told him. “I could get a fake one, and we could see.”

“Bucky…” Steve was now giving him his ‘you’re an idiot, but I love you’ look.

Bucky loved getting that look. Teasing Steve was one of his very favorite things. “Just kidding. You know it would just be a problem on a mission, give an enemy something to grab if we’re fighting hand-to-hand.”

“Exactly,” Steve nodded. “That’s why Nat doesn’t wear earrings on missions.”

“But a tattoo, on the other hand,” Bucky mused, and watched Steve’s face. There was something there, in his eyes, that said maybe he’d like to see Bucky with a tattoo, very much. He probably wouldn’t ever admit it though. Such a shame.

“It’s your body,” Steve said, and quickly looked down at the menu, even though they’d already given their orders.

“Where should I get it, though?” Bucky asked him. “Maybe, here?” he touched his right shoulder. “Or here?” his collarbone, right where Steve liked to leave a mark when they made love. Steve blushed. Bucky grinned. “Or maybe here?” he pulled the bottom of his shirt up to reveal his hip, shifting so Steve could see what he’d done (and the fading mark Steve had left there earlier) over the table. Steve turned even more red.

“Bucky,” he hissed. “We’re in public.”

“What?” Bucky was all feigned innocence. “I’m not doing anything. Nothing, I swear!”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Well, keep doing that ‘nothing’ and I might have to cut our date short,” Steve threatened. Oh yeah, cut it short, so they could get right to the bedroom. Six months in to this relationship, and Bucky knew exactly which buttons to push to get what he wanted.

Just then the waiter returned with their drinks, and Bucky cut off the flirting. Being gay might not be illegal any more, but people still had some strong reactions to it, and he didn’t want any trouble tonight. The kid blinked when he saw just how red Steve was, but shrugged it off. Bucky figured he probably saw stranger things every day, working in customer service.

“Bucky Barnes,” Steve said, when the waiter had gone away again, “you are a tease.”

“And you love me for it,” Bucky told him.

“Yes,” Steve told him, honestly. “I do.”

 

A little while later, Steve got up to use the restroom, and Bucky briefly toyed with the idea of calling the waiter over and asking him to hide the ring on Steve’s plate. He’d seen someone do that on TV the other day, and it seemed like a cool idea. But… that wasn’t the way he wanted to do this. It would be an interesting proposal, sure, but… Before he could really finish deliberating, Steve was back, and the chance was gone. No matter, another one would come along. Something perfect. Steve deserved perfect.

 

They got to the movie theater, just before the movie was scheduled to start. They would have been there earlier, but Bucky had insisted on a detour into a the alley behind the cinema for a little distraction. (Not that Steve had resisted at all. In fact, he’d been very enthusiastic.) The girl in the ticket booth glanced curiously at their flushed faces, but said nothing, handing over the tickets and robotically wishing them a good evening. Steve went to go get their seats, while Bucky got the popcorn and sodas. He once again considered putting the ring around Steve’s straw, or in the popcorn, but there was the danger of losing it, or one of them accidentally picking it up in a handful of popcorn and swallowing it. So no, not that. But maybe, after the movie… this was an “old-style” cinema, with a balcony, just like the ones they had gone to as kids in the 30’s. He could wait until the theater emptied out, and then, with the ending score of the movie still playing, get down on one knee, on the balcony, and ask Steve properly to be his husband. Yes. That was a good idea. The best he’d had all month. Steve loved going to the movies with him, it was something neither of them did with anyone else, which made it a perfect activity for them before a proposal. It would have been better if Bucky had suggested this date himself, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, not after trying to find the right moment for a month. Yes, tonight was finally the night. Thus armed with a plan, Bucky slipped into the darkened theater, and found Steve in their usual seats, first row of the balcony, dead center. Thank god for theaters that let you pick your seats when you reserved your tickets (Fandango- another great modern invention!) or they would probably have been stuck all the way in the back, or in the front right up against the screen.

Bucky dropped the bucket of popcorn in Steve’s lap, sliding into his seat in time to see the end of a preview for some new fantasy movie. After Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, fantasy had made a big boom in the film industry. He’d seen these previews on TV before, and leaned over to whisper in Steve’s ear, “Let’s go see that, when it comes out.”

“Sure,” Steve nodded, and put the popcorn where they could both reach it.

Bucky was silent for a while, but in the middle of another preview, he leaned back over to Steve and whispered “Remember when they showed cartoons before the film?”

“Buck, quiet. We’ll disturb the other people,” Steve admonished. Bucky grinned, in the dim light from the screen, he could just see Steve throwing him his “behave” look. It was a few notches down from the one he usually gave Tony, so Bucky knew he wasn’t really upset.

The movie started, an action flick, the sequel to one of the ones on Sam’s list. It had a pretty good story, as sequels went, but nothing special. What made the night special, was when Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky’s shoulders, and, when the protagonist was busy on screen making out with his love interest, leaned in and kissed him. In the darkened theater, no one would see, no one would care. They were just two guys at the movies, not Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. It was as public as they could be, without the media catching on. And even here, it was a risk. It was thrilling. By the time they broke the kiss, the protagonist was in a car, getting shot at.

“Gee, his life is just like ours,” Bucky whispered. Steve shut him up with another kiss.

By the time the movie was working up to the big final fight scene, Bucky was getting nervous. He slipped a finger into his pocket, just to make sure the ring was still there. It was. It was getting close, the time was almost on them. He didn’t think he’d ever find another, more perfect moment, than the one about to come. He could do this. He would. He wanted to marry Steve, more than anything. Steve would say yes. All Bucky had to do was ask.

Suddenly, a large explosion ripped through the air. At first, Bucky thought it was just part of the movie, but then it was followed by another one, where nothing on screen was blowing up. And then back wall exploded, and the screaming started. Maybe it was an aftershock, or the noise of the blast affecting his hearing, but Bucky could swear he heard Steve say “damn.”

“Fuck,” Bucky cursed, as the cinema shook from whatever was going on. Just what he didn’t need. He’d been so close, he’d been ready this time. And now, another fight. Fucking hell.

As people started streaming out the emergency exits, Steve jumped up and got ready for a fight. From the sound of it, there was an army outside. Another explosion sounded, far off, and at the same time Steve’s phone rang. He picked it up.

“Tony? Yeah, we’re right in the middle of it. I think we’re gonna need the team on this one. Get everyone down here, asap.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket as soon as he was done, tearing up the back of a seat to use as a makeshift shield- his was currently back at Avengers Tower. Meanwhile, Bucky had pulled his gun from the concealed holster on his back and pressed a button on it. The Stark Tech weapon extended quickly into his preferred sniper rifle. Steve handed him a magazine full of bullets that he’d kept in his pockets, since Bucky’s were too tight. This was life now, always making sure someone had extra ammunition for cases such as this. Oh well. It was their life, so that was okay. So long as Steve was with him, Bucky didn’t mind. But he really wished whoever it was could have picked another night to attack.

He took his anger out on the first…mannequin?… to walk through the hole in the wall, blasting it’s head off with a well-placed shot. Others swiftly followed, and soon Steve and Bucky were in the middle of a fierce battle with the plastic people, trying to keep them from harming any of the civilians still trying to get out of the theater. Once they were too close for his gun, Bucky set it aside and went at it with the knives he kept in a secret compartment of his arm. Beside him, Steve was bashing left and right with the seat back, destroying a mannequin with each blow.

“Somebody’s gonna pay for ruining our date,” Bucky called to him, taking off a mannequin’s arm with a swipe of his blade.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, bringing the seat back down on top of a rather large mannequin. “Couldn’t have picked a worse time to attack.”

“Bet they were just waiting for our date night to attack. Assholes.” Bucky turned so he was back-to-back with Steve, as the swarm of plastic people surrounded them. They were able to keep any from getting too close, but it seemed like every clothing store in the city would be missing it’s displays come morning.

“Is it just me, or does it seem like they’re ignoring everything but us?” Steve asked, picking up a ‘dead’ mannequin and throwing it, knocking over a fair amount of enemies in one blow.

“Great. Why is it, that whenever we go somewhere, people want to attack us?” Bucky asked, losing a knife in the head of an attacking doll. He pulled out a spare, and killed it.

“Must be you,” Steve told him. “I never get in this much trouble on my own.”

“Gotta be my sparkling personality,” Bucky agreed.

“Or your general ability to piss off all of our enemies whenever you open your mouth,” Steve suggested, after a pause in which he tackled a mannequin that had been sneaking up on Bucky’s side while he was distracted by the two right in front of him.

“Or that. Where the hell is Stark?” This was getting a little much for just the two of them. The army of mannequins seemed never ending. Bucky lost another knife and went for his spare, only to remember he’d already used it. Fuck.

“Right here, Snowcone,” Tony’s voice came over the sounds of explosions. “Need a lift?”

Bucky looked up to see Iron Man fly through the gaping hole in the wall, dropping Steve’s shield into his hands.

“Stark, get Bucky out and then come back for me. We need to find what’s controlling this army,” Steve ordered, and before Bucky could protest, Tony had him by the arms, lifting him up over a veritable sea of mannequins, and bringing him down outside where the other Avengers were fighting some more of the things. In the air, he looked over the battle field. From what he saw, there seemed to be a center point, a block or two away, which was where they were all coming from.

“Tell Steve I think I see it,” Bucky said when Tony put him down. “Just over there.” Then, without waiting, he turned and ran for it, fighting his way through the plastic army. Natasha joined him, tossing him a pair of pistols as she ran.

“Thought you could use these!”

“Thanks,” he told her. “Up there, see it?” Bucky pointed to his goal.

“Think that’s the source?” Nat asked. Bucky nodded, then remembered that she probably hadn’t seen.

“Yeah, I think so. We’ve got to cut it off. They were attacking me and Steve. I think we were targets.”

“I think so too,” Natasha agreed. “It looks too calculated to be anything else. You’re sure they weren’t going for anyone else in that theater?”

“No,” Bucky mentally went over everything he’d seen since the wall blew out, until the last civilian had fled the theater. “They came straight for us, like they knew we were there.”

“Great. We’ve made another enemy. Or, you and Steve have.” Natasha jumped over a mannequin as it fell, downed by Bucky’s shot.

“Fantastic,” Bucky said, and concentrated on shooting the store dummies out of the way. They were almost at the center point, and he could see it now. A big metal machine emitting a sort of high-pitched noise. It was guarded by a boiling sea of mannequins. Natasha pulled a grenade from a pocket and threw it, pushing Bucky to the ground. A second later, it exploded, sending plastic bits flying all around them. Bucky jumped up and raced through the now-clear path, straight to the object.

A well-placed kick crashed the machine to the ground, scattering mannequins left and right. With more plastic people pouring out of shops all up and down the street, the area looked like a scene from a horror movie. Bucky decided to put a stop to it, before it got any worse. He hoped Tony had gotten Steve out of the theater already, before he was overwhelmed. And with that thought, Bucky shot a hole straight through what looked like the control box for the device. The high-pitched noise got worse, causing both Bucky and Natasha to cover their ears and cry out in pain. Then it was over. The mannequins fell to the ground, lifeless once more.

“Ok,” Natasha said, when they could hear again. “That sucked.”

“Yep,” Bucky agreed. “Come on, let’s get back to the others.”

With Natasha’s help, they dragged the machine back to where the other Avengers were waiting for them. Or, rather, all the Avengers but one. Bucky looked at their faces, but no one met his eyes. Terror shot straight through him.

“Where’s Steve?”

“These plastic people overwhelmed the Captain, just after the Man of Iron brought him out to us,” Thor told him.

“They just ignored us,” Tony added. “Once they saw Steve. After you- I assume it was you,” he nodded to the device Bucky and Natasha had with them, “shut them down, we couldn’t find Steve. They’d piled up on him, but when we pulled apart the pile, we found… well.” Bucky followed his gaze to a gaping hole in the pavement. He looked down it, but couldn’t see a bottom.

“Where does it go?” Bucky wanted to know.

“I don’t know,” Tony told him. “I was just about to go down when you got back. Care to join me?”

Instead of replying, Bucky jumped into the hole. He fell about twenty feet, landed, and looked around. It was a tunnel, one made by whatever had created the hole. It only went in one direction, so that was where Bucky was going to go. He ran, he wasn’t sure for how long, until he reached a place where the tunnel branched. The others came up behind him as he was trying to decide which way to go.

“Half take the left, half take the right?” Clint suggested. Bucky nodded, and took off on the left. Clint and Thor followed him.

“Bruce took the machine back to the tower,” Clint said as they ran. “Had to go get some pants. He’s gonna try to figure out how it made those dummies move, or who made it.”

“Good,” Bucky told him, not wasting breath on a longer reply. Right now, he really didn’t care about finding out the hows or whys of the attack. All he wanted to do was get Steve back.

 

They followed the tunnel until it abruptly turned up, leading to another hole like the one they had entered through. There was a ladder here, and Bucky cautiously climbed it. At the top, he peeked over the edge to see… a bridal shop. Mannequins in wedding dresses lined the walls, vacant painted eyes staring off into space. None of the plastic people were moving, and a quick survey of the room told Bucky no living people were nearby. He climbed into the room, wary and ready for the dummies to attack. Clint and Thor swiftly followed him, and still the mannequins didn’t move.

Clint carefully approached one of the plastic brides and examined it. It didn’t react to his presence, so he hesitantly touched it. Nothing. They all heaved a sigh of relief.

“I think we’re safe,” Clint said, after several seconds had paused, and nobody had gotten attacked.

“Come on,” Bucky ordered, leading them through the only door in the room. Only to stop dead, completely unsure of what he was seeing.

The next room looked like it had been a sewing room, several sewing machines were pushed against the walls, and dresses in various states of completion hung on dressmaker’s dummies around the room. Most of the other things in the room would have been perfectly in place in a seamstress’s workroom- needles, thread, fabric, pins, various and assorted decorative bits. What was wrong about the room, what stopped Bucky in his tracks, was the body laid out on the large table in the center of the room. It had been a man, once. He was young, maybe twenty years old when he died, and beautiful. That was the only word for him, beautiful. His golden hair and fair skin were perfectly preserved, and he’d been dressed in an expertly tailored tuxedo. Blue glass eyes stared sightlessly up to the ceiling under shapely brows, plump lips curved up in a slight smile. If it wasn’t for the way the head had been stitched onto the body, it would be quite hard to tell he was dead. Later, they would learn that he had been embalmed by an expert’s hands.

“What the fuck?” Clint asked, coming beside Bucky to stare at the body. “Ok, that’s creepy.”

“Really creepy,” Bucky agreed. “Think this has anything to do with the attack?”

“It’s got to,” Clint said. “Though I don’t see a connection between a dead guy and dummies attacking Steve.”

“Perhaps the person who caused the plastic statues to move wished to resurrect the man,” Thor suggested.

Bucky frowned, circling the table, examining the body. “That explains the moving mannequins, but not the part about taking Steve.”

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing,” Clint said. “So far we’ve got moving dummies, a creepy tunnel, and a dead guy in a bridal shop. I have to say, I’ve seen weirder, but not by much.”

“I fear it is about to get worse,” Thor informed them, backing away from the door to the tunnel room. Around them, the mannequins started to come to life.

“Fuck,” Bucky swore, grabbing his pistols and blowing off the heads of the two dummies closest to him. Taking the heads off didn’t stop them, but it did seem to at least confuse the things for a few moments, long enough for Thor to send his hammer smashing through them. Clint had his bow out, already firing shot after shot of explosive arrows, blowing up the mannequins he hit. All three of them backed in towards the table, facing what seemed to be the shop’s entire stock of mannequins, which were pouring in through two of the three doors in the room.

The battle wasn’t a long one, even with only the three of them. Instead of the endless stream of dummies they’d had to fight earlier that night, it seemed this time they were only dealing with the thirty or so mannequins kept in the shop. With Thor’s hammer, Bucky’s guns, and Clint’s bow, they made short work of the mindless plastic people. After the last one fell under Clint’s arrow, the three Avengers remained on alert, on the lookout for more attackers. At last, when nothing else moved, Bucky began to think they were safe.

“Think we got the last of them?” he asked his companion, lowering his guns.

“I hope so,” Clint said. Which was, of course, when the dead man sat up and attacked.

He went straight for Bucky, who was closest to him, armed with a distressingly large pair of scissors. Before he even registered what had happened, he was on him, stabbing. He fell backwards, twisting to take the blow on his armor. Only to remember that he was still dressed for a date when the scissors passed through his shirt like it was air, and went straight into his side. Quicker than Bucky would have thought possible for a dead guy, he tore the scissors from him and stabbed again and again. Terrifyingly, the expression on his face did not change- he was as robotic as the mannequins they had fought earlier.

Bucky roared in pain, throwing the man from him and pulling the scissors from his chest, clamping a hand down over the deepest wound. Dripping blood, he pushed himself to his feet, watching as Thor and Clint attacked as one, once more removing the man’s head from his body. He fell without a sound, leaking a clear sort of fluid in place of blood.

Silence descended around them, broken only by the sound of their breathing. Finally, Clint shook his head, and spoke. “Ok,” he said, “That was definitely one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed. He started to take a step forward, closer to where Thor and Clint were standing, and staggered.

“Bucky, are you injured?” Thor asked, instantly at his side. Feeling a little light-headed, Bucky’s first thought was that Thor was a good guy. Then he got his head together, and nodded.

“Yeah, I think so.” He pulled his hand away from the wound, and was surprised by the sheer amount of blood on him.

“Fuck,” Clint swore. “What the hell did he stick you with? A butcher knife?”

“Be still, my friend. We must get you to a healer,” Thor commanded. Bucky nodded. Somehow, the scissors the man had used to stab him had torn a large gash in his side- large, and deep.

“Holy hell!” Clint’s voice came from behind them, where he was had found the bloody weapon. “These aren’t scissors, they’re more like hedge clippers! Or knives!”

“I know,” Bucky said through gritted teeth. He would be fine in a day or two, but right now it was really starting to hurt.

“Can you walk?” Thor inquired of Bucky.

“I damn well hope so, it’s my side not my legs!” he snapped back, and regretted it immediately. “Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean that”

Thor nodded, understanding. “It is alright. You are in great pain.” He went to slip an arm around Bucky and stopped, staring at the extent of the damage to his side.

“Better not,” Bucky told him. “Just… let me lean on your arm, ok?”

The god of thunder offered Bucky his arm then, and Bucky clutched to it, using most of his strength just to keep standing.

“Thor, get Bucky back to the tower, and alert Dr. Ames that she’s needed. I’ll keep going,” Clint ordered. He picked his way across the mannequin-littered floor to the door on the other side of the room. Before he could open it, or Bucky could protest being sent away, the door swung inward, revealing a tall man in a brown suit. He was carrying a briefcase, and Steve’s shield. For a moment, the only thing Bucky could see was the burgundy splash of drying blood that stood out against the white of the star. He took a deep breath, and then another, slowly counting to ten. With an effort, he managed to control himself, push down the burning anger that rose at the thought of Steve being harmed. When he once again turned his attention to his surroundings, the man was standing in the doorway, waving his arms and ranting.

“-my work! What have you done?! My greatest success! My army! It’s all ruined!” The grating tone of the man’s voice was like nails on chalkboard.

“Where’s Steve?” Bucky demanded, yelling to be heard over the ranting.

The man stopped, and looked at him. “Who?”

Bucky gritted his teeth. “Steve Rogers. Captain America. The man whose shield you’re holding. Where. Is. He?” He took a shaking step forward, the anger still burning in the pit of his stomach providing the strength his wounds had sapped from him.

“I’m not telling you,” the man hissed. “You can’t have him. He’s my daughter’s now. He’ll make her happy.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Bucky asked, taking another step closer. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Clint moving into a flanking position, ready to attack if necessary.

The man stubbornly closed his mouth.

“Tell me,” Bucky demanded. “Or else.”

The man shook his head, still remaining silent.

Bucky tried another tactic. “Why did you take him?”

Nothing. Not even a twitch to show the man had heard him.

With each question, Bucky had been inching closer. Now he was within arm’s length of the man. His anger was still burning, barely under control. “I’ll ask you one more time. Where is Steve?”

The man looked Bucky dead in the eyes and opened his mouth. “Go to hell.”

The anger of the Winter Soldier boiled up inside him, pressing against his restraints. He swung his metal fist, and felt a sick pleasure in the moment it connected with the man’s head. He’d let the anger out, but he’d been learning to use it for his own purposes. The punch wasn’t strong enough to kill his enemy, but it did knock him out.

“Already been,” he told the unconscious man.

“Good arm,” Clint observed. If he or Thor thought anything about Bucky’s actions, they didn’t say it. Instead, they quickly set to tying the man up so he couldn’t escape. When they were done, they laid him on the table where the dead guy had been.

“Thanks.” Bucky watched them, tearing his ruined shirt into strips. With Clint’s help, he bound his wounds until he felt safe to go on. “Let’s keep looking.”

Of course, Clint protested, pointing at the worst of the injuries. “No. You need to go get those looked at.”

Bucky pulled out his most stubborn expression. “No. Not until we find Steve.”

Clint opened his mouth, ready to argue, when Thor put a hand on his shoulder. “I will watch him. Perhaps he should not leave the search just yet.”

Outnumbered, Clint had no choice to agree, but he did it with bad grace. “Fine. But if he faints, you’ll be the one carrying him back to the tower.”

Bucky wasn’t going to wait around while his companions jabbered on. He walked through the door, and into the next room- a sales room for the bridal shop. Racks of dressed took up most of the floor space, while the walls were lined with posters of models in extravagant gowns. There was even a large mirror set-up that allowed a woman to view herself from all angles in the dress. Nothing looked out of place, save for the empty window displays- displays that had probably consisted of the mannequins currently in pieces in the sewing room.

A thorough search of the room proved no clues, though maybe the computer (that doubled as a register) could hide a clue. Clint started attempting to hack in, while Bucky and Thor continued to explore the small shop. There were only two other rooms, a clue had to be in one of them.

The first room was an office, full of magazines and receipts, and nothing else. The second room was locked, but a light could be seen from the cracks around the door. Thor and Bucky didn’t waste time trying to pick it, opting instead to use Mjolnir to smash in the handle. The door swung open, to reveal a small bathroom, and a girl chained to the pipes under the sink. She looked up when Thor and Bucky entered, and they could see that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy from prolonged weeping, and a fading bruise spread across her face in the shape of a hand. Her wrists were chaffed where the chains were wrapped around them, evidence of a struggle to escape.

“Who?” she asked in a small voice, watching them warily.

“It is alright, my lady,” Thor reassured her, kneeling by her side. Bucky moved in beside him, crouching down to her level despite his wounds. In seconds, he had his lock-picks out on his arm, working to free the girl.

“Who are you?” she asked again, voice a little stronger.

“We’re the Avengers,” Bucky told her. To his surprise, she reacted with a strangled little sob.

“He did it, didn’t he? My father?”

“What do you mean?” Thor asked.

“He kidnapped Captain America, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Bucky bit out, freeing one of her hands. “He did. Any idea why?”

“It’s…” tears started rolling down her face, and she raised the free hand to wipe ineffectually at her cheeks. “It’s because of me. Me, and Kevin…”

“This Kevin, would he be the young man in the other room?” Thor wanted to know, and Bucky looked up at him in shock.

“Yeah,” the girl sniffed. “He’s… he was my fiance. But last year, he got sick. Really sick. We put off the wedding, said we’d wait until he got better. But he didn’t. He got worse. And then one day, he just collapsed. The doctors told us there was nothing they could do. He was, he was brain-dead. His parents kept him on life support long enough for me to come say goodbye. Then we buried him. I tried to get over it, really, I did. But… I just… I loved him so much.” Her other hand came free and she covered her face, slumping down against Thor. “Daddy took me to some doctors, shrinks, I think. They all said the same thing- depression. But Daddy didn’t believe them, you know how some people are with that kind of thing. He said I’d get better if I could just have Kevin back. So, I don’t know when he did it, but… he- he dug Kevin up. Kept it a secret from me, at first, but I noticed he started spending all his time here at the shop. I thought it was just a big project, some special order, but usually he tells me about those. I asked to help, and when he wouldn’t let me, I started to get suspicious. I… I snuck in here in the middle of the night. And, I found… found…” She couldn’t go on.

“You found him,” Bucky said gently.

The girl nodded. “I… but, he wasn’t Kevin. Not anymore. Whatever Daddy did to him, it was wrong. When I turned on the light, he moved. It scared me, and I screamed. Daddy heard me, but so did… that thing. He- it attacked me. Then Daddy ran in with this… it looked like a remote. He did something, and Kevin went back to the table. Then, Daddy told me he’d tried to bring Kevin back for me. But he couldn’t do it. He could make him move, but he couldn’t make him live. He showed me what he’d done to the store dummies, experimenting, trying to make it work. He was always trying crazy things, ever since I was a little girl, but I never thought…” She shook her head, and forced herself back on topic. “I told him he was wrong. We fought. And then he told me, if he couldn’t give me Kevin- if I wouldn’t take that… that abomination, he’d give me the next best thing. Someone exactly like Kev. Then he chained me up in here, so I wouldn’t stop him.”

Bucky frowned. Things were making more sense, but there were still a lot of big questions, like “How did Steve come into this?”

“Kevin was kind,” the girl told them, in a seeming non-sequitur. “He… he was a good man. Honest. Just. And his hero was Captain America. He looked up to Steve Rogers, said he stood for all the important things. I used to joke that he was just like him. Called him ‘My Captain America’. Daddy… Daddy said he’d give me the real Captain America. That’s… that’s why.”

“Fuck,” Bucky breathed, horrified by the girl’s story.

“This is good news,” Thor told him. “It means your Steven is still alive.”

“Yeah,” Bucky managed a weak grin. “Yeah, he can’t have killed him, if he means to make him marry, um, I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“Lea,” The girl told him. “Leanne Miller.”

“Lea,” Bucky put his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “It’s important you to tell me where he took Steve. I need to find him.”

“I don’t know,” Lea said, shaking her head. “He didn’t tell me.”

“Is there no place you can think of?” Thor asked her.

“Well…” She paused, obviously thinking. “There is one place… maybe…”

“Where?” Bucky needed to know. Needed to go get to Steve.

“There’s… Kevin and I were looking at churches, before he died,” Lea said. “We wanted to have our wedding in an old church. He might have gone to one of them.”

“We’ll need a list,” Bucky told her.

Lea accompanied them out into the office, where she found a pen and wrote down the names of the churches she and her fiance had visited. There were maybe ten, in all. Clint called Tony, and relayed the list. It seemed that Tony, Natasha, and Sam had followed the second tunnel until it emerged into an empty construction site. Four of the churches on the list were close by their position. As soon as Clint ended the call, they began the search.

“Alright, let’s go,” Clint decided. “We’ll take mister Miller back to the tower to deal with later, then go join the search.”

Bucky didn’t even respond, simply heading for the door to the sewing room where they’d left Miller.

“Wait,” Lea called after him. “Kevin. Did… did you kill him?” she asked. Bucky nodded.

The girl gave him a sort of shaky smile. “Thank you. He… he deserves to rest in peace. What Daddy did to him… that was wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Bucky told her, meaning it. No one should have to go through that. Lea’s father had a lot to answer for. Unfortunately, it would take a while longer before they could make him do so- when Bucky returned to the sewing room, Miller was gone.

 

They went back to the tower first anyway, both Clint and Thor insistent that Bucky get someone to look at his wounds before proceeding. It was while they were waiting for the doctor, that the reality of the situation finally hit. Thankfully, Bucky was already sitting down when it happened, or he would have fallen.

“God.” He put his head in his hands, sternly reminding himself that Steve had been kidnapped before. This time would be no different- they would get him back. Everything would be fine. It was just… tonight had been the night. He was finally going to do it, propose to Steve. And now, Steve was missing. Kidnapped by a madman trying to replace his daughter’s dead lover. For a moment, Bucky wished they could go back to the time before the war and Captain America, back to when kidnappings and evil villains were things they read about in stories. But going back was impossible, and even if it wasn’t, it would mean undoing everything, the good along with the bad. And there was much good in their lives now. For instance, the fact that, in this day and age, he could propose to Steve, and they could get married- legally.

Bucky worked the ring box out of his pocket, and was relieved to note that somehow, none of his blood had gotten on it. He flipped it open, and stared at the simple gold band. In the bright florescent lights of the medical wing, he could easily make out the words he’d had engraved on the inside- “Until the end of the line.”

Clint came in, carrying Bucky’s combat uniform. He took one look at Bucky and put it down, coming over to sit next to him. He didn’t say anything, just sat there and offered silent comfort. That was the great thing about Clint- he knew when to talk, and when you just needed silence. After a little while, Bucky spoke.

“I was gonna ask him to marry me tonight,” he said. “I’ve been trying all month, trying to find the perfect moment. I thought… tonight was it. I was gonna do it after the movie, right there in the theater, after everyone else had left.”

“The perfect moment?” Clint asked.

Bucky nodded. “Yeah. I thought maybe it would be. I want it to be perfect. Steve deserves perfect.”

“Well,” Clint shrugged, and looked at the ring in Bucky’s hands. “It’s been my experience, the perfect moment doesn’t just come along. You have to create it.”

“Yeah,” Bucky mused. “I’m beginning to see that.”

 

It was nearly dawn, and Dr. Ames was almost done stitching up Bucky’s wounds, when they got the call- Tony and the others were fighting an army of statues in a church a few blocks from Miller’s shop. Tony believed Steve was somewhere in the building, but they couldn’t get any further in to look for him. The statues had them trapped in the sanctuary.

They left immediately. Thor flew on ahead, while Bucky and Clint made their way through the city streets. Thankfully the morning rush hour had yet to start, and they could speed along with the (probably illegal) sirens blazing on one of Tony’s SUVs. They arrived on the heels of the media trucks, pushing through the perimeter set up by the police to keep civilians out of danger. Statues had come from other areas now, and were surrounding the church. Thor and Natasha were fighting them off, doing their best to destroy bronze or stone figures before they got inside to add to the already desperate fight going on in the sanctuary.

Bucky threw himself into the battle, diving in with Steve’s shield, using his superior strength to shatter statue after statue. The city probably wouldn’t thank them for destroying so many famous icons, but they’d have to live with it. Nothing, not creepy angels or bronze bulls, would keep him from getting to Steve. Later, he would watch videos of the battle, and not remember most of it. It all became a blur for Bucky- smash a statue, turn, smash a statue, turn, throw the shield, smash a statue, turn, keep moving forward. He couldn’t see Miller, or whatever was making the statues move, so he just kept fighting. He caught glimpses of the others from time to time, a flash as Clint sent an exploding arrow into a weeping angel, the blur of Mjolnir flying through a bronze warrior on a horse, Natasha throwing a grenade at a stone lion. He heard an unmistakable roar from the church, and knew that Bruce, or, rather, the Hulk, was inside with Tony and Sam. He kept smashing statues.

Then- “I’ve got him! I’ve got Miller!” Clint called over the din of battle. Bucky ran towards him, and saw them standing beside a smaller version of the machine Bucky and Natasha had neutralized hours before. Clint was struggling to hold on to the tailor, grappling for control of something that looked like a television remote. Bucky made a snap decision, and threw Steve’s shield. It flew true, embedding in the device. The machine sparked, emitting that same high-pitched sound, and Clint threw himself and Miller away as it exploded in a ball of fire. Bucky caught Steve’s shield as it was sent flying back towards him, turning to throw it again at an attacking statue- to see the army of statuary still and unmoving. Bucky ran for the door to the church, only to see it slowly creak open, revealing Tony and Sam, each with an arm wrapped around Steve, supporting him.

“Steve!” Bucky went to his friend, taking Tony’s place at his side. “Steve, are you ok?”

“I’m fine, Buck. Just got hit on the head a bit,” Steve assured him. Bucky could see blood on his temple, and matted in his hair.

“He was fighting Jesus,” Tony said.

Bucky laughed, relieved. Tony wasn’t worried about Steve, so he really was fine, or he would be, once he got over the blow to the head. “God. How is any of this real life?”

Steve squeezed his shoulder, smiling. “Well, it could be worse. It could have been dinosaurs.”

“Watch it,” Bucky warned him. “Or next time, it will be.”

 

A little while later, Bucky sat on the back of an ambulance, letting a paramedic look at his wounds. He’d taken some damage during the statue battle -though he couldn’t remember when- and some of his wounds from earlier had re-opened. A few feet away, Steve was being interviewed by some news reporter, still wearing the clothes he’d chosen for their date. The sun was just rising, the light falling past buildings to fall on Steve while everything else was still caught in shadow. It was a striking effect, the shadowed battle field, littered with rubble and fallen statues; rescue workers moving in and out of the area, searching for anyone who had been caught in the fighting; the flashing red and blue of police lights; and Steve. Steve standing in that first ray of sunshine, looking like a creature of light itself. He smiled, that shy smile he gave reporters when they asked questions he was embarrassed to answer, and ducked his head. Bucky watched him laugh at something the woman said, and was struck again by just how much he loved this man.

He reached into his pocket, and gripped the ring box. This was the man he wanted to be with forever. The man he wanted to swear to love ‘until death do us part’ and beyond. Clint’s words floated across his mind. It’s been my experience the perfect moment doesn’t just come along. You have to create it. There would never be a ‘truly perfect moment.’ If he kept waiting… he could have lost Steve this time. The lives they led, either of them could die at any time. Hell, technically, they both already had. Next time, it could be dinosaurs, or giant robots, or any number of extremely dangerous things. There was no guarantee they’d always come out the other end alright. And here he was, wasting his time trying to find the ‘right time.’

“Fuck it,” he muttered, making a decision.

“Sir?” the paramedic asked. Bucky shook his head and stood. The man called after him, but Bucky ignored him. He’d decided, and now he was going to act. That was what had always worked best for him. He strode over to where Steve was attempting to avoid a question from the reporter. There would be witnesses, their relationship would be revealed after this. He found he didn’t care. He didn’t want to end up like Lea and Kevin, never able to take that ultimate step towards an eternity together. He didn’t want to hide what they had, either. Not any more. If everyone knew that Steve was his, nobody would try what Miller had and kidnap him to marry someone else. If everyone knew Steve was his, they would know he was protected.

“Excuse me,” Bucky told the reporter. “I need to borrow him for a second.” Without waiting for her response, he took Steve by the arm and led him over to the church steps. A shattered angel lay on the ground near where they stopped, and he could see little pieces of bronze glinting in the rapidly spreading light. With the stained-glass window behind them, it looked like a surrealist’s painting.

“What’s up?” Steve asked, smiling fondly at him. God he was beautiful.

“I… I’ve been trying to find the right time to do this. And tonight made me realize, there isn’t going to be a right time, so I’d better just do it.” He got down on one knee, there in the rubble, and offered up the ring box. “Steven Rogers, I love you. I love you, and I want the world to know it. You’re mine. And, for what it’s worth, I’m yours. So, what I’m asking is… Steve, will you marry me?”

Steve’s smile grew as Bucky spoke, until he didn’t need to be bathed in light to look like sunshine incarnate. There was so much joy in his eyes, Bucky could hardly doubt his response.

Instead of speaking, Steve reached down and pulled him up and into his arms. His kiss took Bucky’s breath away, soft and sweet and insistent all at once. Then he pulled back, resting their foreheads together.

“Yes,” he said. “Yes. I’ll marry you.” And he smiled that smile again. Then he laughed. “But, you know,” he stepped out of Bucky’s arms, and reached into one of his pockets. When he withdrew his hand, he held a box identical to Bucky’s ring box. “I’d planned on asking you tonight.”

Bucky couldn’t help but laugh. “We really are a pair, aren’t we?” He took the ring from his box, and slid it on to Steve’s finger, then reached for Steve’s box.

“Yep,” Steve caught his hand, gently placing his ring right where it belonged. “We are.”

 

The media uproar was predictable, but it died away as soon as the next big story broke. In a way, it was kind of a let down. Bucky had built up this huge scenario in his mind, but in reality, their relationship was just one in a string of celebrity love stories. They had to do a few interviews, and there were always questions about their lives before the war, and what it was like to be gay in the early 20th century versus the early 21st, but it was fairly simple and straightforward. Sure, they got some hate mail, and death threats, but nothing more than what they usually dealt with on a daily basis- being Superheroes does happen to have its drawbacks.

The bigger change came in battles, where enemies began to target one or the other in an attempt to weaken one of them. It never worked. What the bad guys wouldn’t ever understand was that taking the one you love, threatening them, hurting them? That doesn’t make you less likely to fight. It gives you the best reason to keep on fighting. And for Steve and Bucky, who had come through war, and sickness, and even death itself, nothing in the world was strong enough to break them apart. They had a love that was stronger than anything in the entire universe. Sometimes they would be separated, sometimes it might even look like it was the end. But they’d always come back to each other. Because if ever there were two people made to be together, it was Steve and Bucky. They swore to each other ‘until the end of the line,’ and as far as they’re concerned, there is no end to their line. And there never will be.

**Author's Note:**

> Well... that's it. That's the end of Anagnorisis as a series. It's been an amazing ride, and I've loved every minute of it, even when it was close to driving me insane. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through it! I hope you've enjoyed reading my poor attempts at a story at least partly as much as I have enjoyed writing them. 
> 
> I'm rather sad that the series has ended, but in my mind, having an ending is just as important as a beginning. And now I can move on to other ideas that I've been playing with. My next story will start either at the end of August, or beginning of September, and will be called Souls, Love, Classic Movies, and Other Immortal Things. If you like my writing, I hope you'll give it a try. 
> 
> There will also be several shorter stories up in the next few months. And by short I mean anywhere between 6,000 and 20,000 words. So far Ice Man has been the exception to the fact that I can't seem to write anything shorter than 6,000 words.
> 
> Anyway, what I really wanted to say here was thank you so much for reading my work. You are wonderful!!!


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